PRESS RELEASE
- 4GEE Charging Bull provides unique charging point for official EE Power Bars which are back for 2015 on an epic scale
- Charging Bull also acts as a double-speed 4G WiFi hotspot - keeping festival goers connected for free
- EE increases connectivity across Glastonbury Festival for 2015 with multiple WiFi hotspots, two EE Power Bar Exchanges and a powerful 4G network installed on site especially for the festival
0001hrs Monday 22nd June, 2015: EE put a 'steak' in the ground as the official technology partner of Glastonbury Festival 2015 by revealing plans to offer an innovative new charging solution and double-speed 4G WiFi in one at this year's event via the 4GEE Charging Bull.
The unique EE Power Bar charging station at Glastonbury takes the form of a larger-than-life bull statue and is inspired by another of Somerset's most famous residents, the late 'Field Marshall', a prize-winning powerful beast who in his prime held the title of 'Britain's Biggest Bull'. Those on site who spot the festival-themed Charging Bull will be able to plug in their EE Power Bar - a portable mobile phone charger - for a quick power top up on the go.
The official Power Bar can also be swapped for a fully charged one once it runs out of juice at either of the two large Power Bar Exchange cabins this year. EE predicts it will handle over 200,000 swaps over the weekend thanks to the popularity of its queue-busting swapping scheme.
EE's Charging Bull also acts as a double-speed 4G WiFi hotspot - available to all for free - which means while revellers stop to boost their battery power they can also log on and upload pictures, videos and messages from the festival in record time.
Spencer McHugh, Director of Brand at EE, said : "As social media usage on our network continues to soar, we have worked with Glastonbury to deliver the most connected festival experience ever for 2015. As well as the 4GEE Charging Bull there will be multiple public WiFi hotspots on site for all to use and through our EE Power Bar Exchange service we are delivering the biggest phone charging operation of any music festival in the world. We want to help everyone there stay in touch with friends and share every memory, using our innovative technology to get the most out of their experience at the UK's biggest music festival."
EE will also install a 4G network on site for the Festival weekend, which will power the double-speed 4GEE Bull, continuing to bring a superfast broadband experience to the most rural parts of the UK. EE's 4G coverage today reaches 90% of the UK population in over 500 large towns and cities, and an additional 5,000 rural villages and small towns.
The 4GEE Charging Bull will be positioned by the main EE Recharge tent and Power Bar Exchange on site - both of which are visible on the map within the Glastonbury 2015 app - and is open to all from Thursday to Sunday - 10am-10pm.
The official Glastonbury 2015 app, developed in partnership with EE shows all the latest news, set times, lives streams of the BBC's coverage over the weekend and features improved social media integration this year, helping friends connect on site. It is available to download now for all smartphone users on any mobile network.
For more information on EE's partnership with the Glastonbury Festival, please visit ee.co.uk/Glastonbury.
About the EE Power Bar
The EE Power Bar is a powerful portable mini-charger that provides up to five hours of charging time. When the bar runs out of juice on site, users can exchange it for a fully-charged one at the dedicated EE Exchanges for free once a day from Wednesday 24th - Sunday 28thJune. The Exchanges will be clearly marked on the Glastonbury Festival map which is available via the official Glastonbury 2015 app - free to download on iOS and Android handsets.
EE Power Bar users will be advised that only the official EE Power Bar (identified by its aqua colour and EE logo) will be exchanged for a fully charged unit on site - any other type of charger will not be accepted as part of the unlimited charge deal from EE. Users can keep their reusable Power Bar at the end of the festival but are advised they will most likely return with a different one that they originally purchased due to the nature of the service. EE cannot guarantee the aesthetic condition of swapped recharged Power Bars, again due to the nature of the service, but any swapped Power Bar will be checked to ensure it is fully charged and in good working condition before being returned to the user.
There will also be one traditional EE Recharge tent on site this year for those not wanting to use the Power Bar service, ready to cater for thousands of people over the weekend. The tents will offer festival goers, irrespective of which mobile network they are on, a space to relax and recharge their batteries whilst they recharge their mobile devices, also free of charge. Hundreds of charging points for multiple types of device will be available, including 'retro' spaces for those with older handsets. Visitors to the tents will be able to connect their devices to dedicated mobile Wi-Fi hot spots powered by EE's 4G network meaning all smartphone users can try out EE's superfast 4G speeds on site - no matter which network they're on.
About EE
EE is the largest and most advanced digital communications company in Britain, delivering mobile and fixed communications services to consumers, businesses, government and the wholesale market. EE has approximately 14,000 employees and 548 retail stores, and serves more than 30 million customers across its mobile, fixed and wholesale businesses.
EE runs the UK's biggest and fastest mobile network, pioneering the UK's first superfast 4G mobile service in October 2012 and is the first European operator to surpass the 10million 4G customer landmark. EE's 4G coverage today reaches more than 87% of the UK population. EE's 2G coverage reaches 99% of the population while 3G reaches 98%. EE's superfast fibre broadband service covers 74% of the UK population, and ADSL broadband service covers 98.7% of the population.
In the last few years, EE has received extensive independent recognition including being ranked the UK's best overall network by RootMetrics®; Best Network at the 2014 and 2015 Mobile News Awards; Fastest Network at the 2013 and 2014 uSwitch Awards; Best Network at the 2014 Mobile Choice Consumer Awards and the What Mobile Awards 2013 and 2014; Number One for Network Innovation at the 2013 Recombu Awards; Best Mobile Network at the 2014 Recombu Awards; Best Network for Business at the 2013 and 2014 Mobile Industry Awards; and Best Consumer Network at the 2014 Mobile Industry Awards
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